


Nameless

by anotheranimefan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Attempt at humour, Barista! Eren, Fanboy! Eren, Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, Singer! Levi, Social Media, coffee shop AU, for that slight drama, hidden identities, i wrote your name wrong on the cup just so we could talk longer au, involves idiots being idiots because this kind of au cannot work otherwise, it's really bad beware, musician au, there's like no angst bc i can't handle it anymore, will have a happy ending ofc, you probably will not laugh once
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2019-08-01 05:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16278287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anotheranimefan/pseuds/anotheranimefan
Summary: Eren gets the chance to see his favourite band of over three years for the first time in concert. He's hopelessly in love with the lead singer, yes, but he knows he's unattainable. Or, at least, he should be. However, Eren somehow manages to catch the opportunity of a lifetime and gain the chance to get close to the person he's pined after all these years.AKA the musician AU turned coffee shop AU turned internet AU turned whatever the hell idk AU





	1. lost in music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo idk wtf this is but it is what it is. i'm pretty sleepy at the moment so this may not make sense but hey
> 
> i've had this written for so long (chapter 1-3) and just recently i picked it up again and wrote a load more so i finally thought it was time to post it. it was mouldering away with my other 500 drafts and i thought this one had a little more potential than my other ones. 
> 
> can't say how often i'll update this because even i can't guess my own writing habits (let's just say they're a little inconsistent) but let's hope i'll be as reliable and prompt as possible.
> 
> and with that load of nonsense, i'll leave you to actually read the fic (if u got this far)!! hope you like it and feedback (good or criticism that is CONSTRUSTIVE) is welcome!! im always looking for chances to improve my writing etc so please let me know. (and i'm also one of those people who are fuelled by praise so you know what to do if you want this updated fast (jk))

Eren turns the volume on his speaker as high as it will go, dancing and singing with only the audience of a small, tattered teddy bear that he got given when he was five. Luckily, toys do not judge. Even when one is indulging oneself in _totally embarrassing_ lyric belting into a goddamn hairbrush. He wouldn't be seen dead doing it in front of anyone else.

When the floorboards outside creak, doorknob turns, and the door opens a little, Eren freezes, as if he's been caught doing something terrible. Like stealing from a granny. What he's doing isn't inherently bad or anything, it's just mortifying.

Mortifying that he's dancing around like he's a freaking thirteen year old girl dancing to her favourite boyband.

Although that's not exactly far off.

"Ere—," comes the voice of his adopted sister, Mikasa. She stops mid sentence, obviously because she's just now noticed him frozen in an awful dance move. She sighs, taking in his wide eyes and red face without seeming to  
bare. At least he knows she'll never tease him for this. Everyone else would. _Especially_ Jean. Eren shudders at the mere thought of it. "You're listening to that band again? It's all you listen to nowadays, Eren."

Mikasa herself is a connoisseur of strange underground goth indie music and refuses to like anything else, so she doesn't exactly understand his infatuation.

Eren's tastes are much more... conventional, and even narrower. She's right—he does only listen to one band. No Name. Their genre is somewhere between bland middle-of-the-road and wannabe edgy. At least, that's Mikasa thinks. Eren wholeheartedly disagrees. They're his favourite band, ever. Or even more than that. They're the first band or artist that he's listened to that he completely connects to. He feels the lyrics. He feels their songs and lyrics somewhere deep in his soul.

He can see Mikasa scrutinising his walls, which are plastered entirely with posters upon posters of the band. Mostly their lead singer. Eren has a slight problem, he knows. But he doesn't care.

"No Name is my favourite band," Eren defends, though it's a little delayed.

"Speaking of them," Mikasa begins. "They're why I came to talk to you, Eren. No Name is having a concert in Trost."

Eren's heart begins to race. Really? _Really_? Bands never ever come within a hundred mile radius of where he lives. And how come he hasn't heard already?

But, although Eren is such a huge fan of No Name, he's never seen them live.

"It's one of those short-notice ones with very limited tickets," Mikasa continues. "However, since Annie works at the venue, I was able to get her to get you and Armin one each. And a pair of VIP passes."

They were _backstage passes_. "You're serious?" Eren marvels. "Really?"

A slight smile crosses Mikasa's face. "I am." She pulls two tickets and two shiny passes out of her pocket and hands them to Eren.

"It's _next week_?"

"Like I said, last week. I paid for them, consider it your early birthday present."

Insurmountable excitement begins to bubble within Eren. He'll be able to achieve his dream: seeing the band that means so so much to him live. And more. He'll get to _meet_ them.

He'll get to meet _him_.

It is well known that Eren has a _thing_ for the lead singer of the band. Well, he's sure Mikasa and Armin are aware of it. He's not sure of his other friends. Anyway, Eren's _thing_ consists of having copious amounts of posters on his walls and incessantly saving images of him onto his phone and computer, even though the members of No Name don't show their faces. They, even the unnamed lead singer, all remain anonymous, by wrapping bandages around their faces and obstructing their features from view (which Mikasa thinks is tacky but Eren thinks is super cool).

"Thank you, Mikasa," Eren says, and he means it. Even though she doesn't even like the band, she'll still go out of her way to get tickets for them. That's Mikasa for you. Eren tries to think of a way he can return the gesture. He'll have to pay her back for them, of course, but he doesn't mention it because he knows she'll object.

"You're welcome, Eren. I know you and Armin like them a lot."

Eren grins. "We do."

Like is an understatement, for him at least.

* * *

To celebrate his recent acquisition of tickets (and _backstage passes_ ), Eren spends the next few days listening to every No Name album in chronological order in an eternal loop. Once he breaks the news to Armin, he is joined by him for the listening sessions.

"I can't believe Mikasa managed to get us these," Armin breathes, marvelling at the shiny pieces of paper that lie in his hands, and have done for the past two hours.

"I know, right," Eren replies, absentmindedly looking to his posters. "It's gotta be a miracle or something that they came along like that."

Armin laughs. "I think so."

One of their favourite songs, _Clarity_ , comes on. Eren and Armin share a look that can't mean anything except: oh-my-god-we're-actually-going-to-hear-this-song-played-live-in-less-than-a-week. As long as that sounds.

Eren leans back on his bed, looking up at his largest poster, which is taped lovingly to his ceiling. "Hey, Armin, what do you think they'll be like?"

"Hm?"

"I mean, since we have backstage passes, we're going to meet them face to face and get a photo and stuff." Just saying those words make Eren's heart race. Meeting his favourite band. It seems like something out of a dream.

"I'm not sure," Armin admits. "Let's just hope they'll be nice to us."

Eren sits up again, looking his best friend straight in the eye. "Of course they will be."

There's no way that he can be disappointed by the band he's loyally followed for the past three and a half years. No way.

"Let's hope so."

* * *

The day before the concert, Eren is antsy. And excited. And happy. And even a little bit scared.

And he certainly can't focus on his work.

Eren works Friday to Sunday as a barista in an overpriced coffee shop. He doesn't like the job that much, as his boss is slightly obnoxious and over demanding and customers can be extremely annoying, but at least it pays the bills. More or less.

He's humming to _Clarity_ as he serves the next customer.

"What can I get for you?" he asks, barely paying attention.

"One black tea," comes the reply.

"Coming right up." Eren turns around and begins to prepare the drink.

Seriously, he thinks as he pours hot water onto the teabag, who orders tea in a coffee shop for god's sake? Probably that unknown species known as "coffee haters", he realises. They are a breed of people he cannot understand. Coffee is his fuel, after all.

"Here you go," he says, placing the cup on the counter with as much care as he can with fingers that are trembling from four espressos. Like he said. His fuel. He can't help it that he works in a coffee shop and the coffee's always on tap. "Can I get anything else for you?"

"No," replies the customer impatiently, their tone of voice that obviously implying they want to get their interaction over with as fast as possible.

Eren looks up.

It's a man—though that was evident from his voice—a few years older than Eren. He wears entirely black clothes, complete with a hat and sunglasses. From what Eren can see of his face, he is very attractive. Scarily so, even. He causes Eren to freeze to the spot and his heartbeat to quicken.

There's also something strangely familiar about him.

He turns to leave with his tea, but Eren stops him. "Excuse me—but have we met before?"

The stranger looks over his shoulder. Eren can feel his eyes on him, even if he cannot see them through the sunglasses.

"No, we haven't." He turns his head forward and begins to walk away. But, almost offhandedly, he says, "I think I'd have remembered someone like you."

Eren's heart does a flip—which probably isn't healthy.

From this, it is evident: he has somehow acquired a slight crush on this man that he doesn't know. He doesn't know why, because it is frankly ridiculously to develop something like that instantly, with only a few words between them. But what he does know is that he wants to see him once again. It's a scary feeling, but he can't bring himself to hate it.


	2. lost in you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was impatient to post so it's up early. (try not to get used to it if you're reading this fic)
> 
> also this is probably some of the cheesiest shit i've written in a while... lmao hope you like it.   
> also hopefully this is less unhumorous than the last one ndjdjd

Eren does not sleep the next night. He's far too excited—and nervous—to even consider it. Instead, he stares up at the large poster on his ceiling of No Name's lead singer. In only a few hours he's going to meet this man. Someone he's supported for over three years. Someone he's had an almost unhealthy _problem_ for, that has never wavered, even slightly. It's strange. He'd thought it would have worn off years ago, but it still burns strong. So does his passion in for all of No Name. They're the first band that, no matter how many times he listens, he never gets sick of their songs. He's so glad he found out about them. There's Armin to thank for that, he supposes.

He still can't quite wrap his head around the whole concert thing. Or the whole actually-meeting-them thing. Meeting them... what will that be like? He will be assumedly within mere inches of the whole band.

What will he be like? Despite everything, Eren barely knows a thing about the man. Well... the things you would expect, anyway. He feels as if he knows him well through the terribly personal and relatable lyrics that he writes.

Eren considers what little he does know. He is twenty seven years old. His birthday is December 25. He likes things to be clean. He doesn't like the attention of being famous and prefers to focus on the music only. That's about everything, and it took him three years and lots of research and hours on Twitter to discover those things.

Eren then considers what he doesn't know. He doesn't know what he's like in person, or even much about his personality. He doesn't even know his name—despite scouring the net for it specifically. He doesn't even know what he looks like, just the outline of his jaw and his mouth. He doesn't know his favourite colour or his favourite food. He doesn't know what his speaking voice sounds like, as he's only ever heard him sing. He doesn't know his sexuality and if he'd even be interested in Eren. Though it isn't like there's any chance. Rockstars never fall in love with their fans unless by some miracle, especially fans like Eren.

Eren sighs loudly. He can't understand why he's so interested in a man he knows next to nothing about. Damn it, if only he could learn his name at the very least.

He doesn't know what to expect at their meeting. After reading many fan reports, he got nothing. All they ever say is how amazing it was to meet them or something along those lines. No in depth detail, which is infuriating to say the least.

He knows what to expect with the show, though. The band will come on and sing several songs, never stopping to chat to the fans. Eren understands that that's just what they do. Some fans get pissed that they barely interact. He can understand that argument, but he likes sitting down to watch a show on YouTube from some festival or other and just hearing music.

Somehow, as he's considering everything about tomorrow, he falls into a light sleep. By the time he realises as such, light is filtering through his curtains and he has to get up and get ready for work.

Once he arrives, he can barely concentrate on getting people's orders right. Not to mention, since it's a Saturday, it's crowded as hell. But at least his shift ends at lunchtime. A small blessing. Once it ends, Armin is coming to pick him up and then they'll go to the venue together to queue up. The concert itself doesn't happen until seven, but since they want to get right up to the barrier, they'll have to wait. It's a pain in the ass, but a good view will be worth it in the end.

"I'll have a black tea," comes a voice Eren knows he's heard before, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Eren looks up to see that same stranger that made his breathing hitch and his heart jump. He'd almost forgotten about him in all his fervency for the concert. Never fully, however, he thinks. The stranger has been somewhere in the back of his mind for the past twenty-four hours.

He didn't expect to see him again so soon. If ever. But maybe he's becoming a new regular—the man who orders tea in a coffee shop. The man Eren _kind of_ has a crush on.

He still wears dark clothes and sunglasses. Today his hat is gone, only to be replaced by an even more obscuring hood. Why someone would walk around in clothes like that, Eren doesn't know. Unless they have something to hide.

"Coming right up," Eren replies, cheery. He's not sure whether that's because of the show or because he's meeting him again. "And by the way, since we're so busy, I'm going to need your name."

"My name?" the stranger asks. For a moment Eren thinks he isn't going to tell him. Eventually, he does: "It's Levi. I assume you know how to spell it?"

"L-E-V-Y, right?" Eren asks with a grin, knowing full well that that's not the correct spelling. He's just stalling so he can spend a little longer with him, as pathetic as that sounds.

"No. It's L-E-V-I," the stranger—Levi—responds impatiently.

Eren smiles. "L-E-V-I. Got it."

Hm. Levi, huh? Eren considers it for a  
moment before telling his coworker Marco the order (definitely telling him to spell Levi's name the right way).

He accepts some coins from Levi, and is sad to watch him go to the other end of the counter to get his drink.

Levi returns a moment later with the tea in hand. Eren can see the unimpressed look on his face even without really being able to see his eyes. He lifts the cup by its rim, showing the hasty writing on its side. L-E-V-Y, it reads. "I thought I told you there was an I."

"Not my fault. I said the right thing, but my coworker must have heard wrong. I and Y sound practically the same, so you can't really blame him."

"Whatever," Levi replies disbelievingly.

"Bye, Lev-Y," Eren calls.

Levi looks over his shoulder. "I thought I told you. It's Levi."

"Goodbye, Levi," Eren whispers, an amused smile on his face. He hopes he'll come back another day. Maybe tomorrow if he's lucky. That would be nice. More than nice, even. Even though they've just met, Eren wants to talk to Levi more and more and more. He wants to get to know him better. Why that is—he doesn't know.

But, despite not knowing, he watches Levi leave, not taking his eyes off of the door.

"Eren?" comes a familiar voice. "Are you okay?"

Eren looks away from the door and to the concerned expression on his best friend's face. "What? I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"Thinking about the concert?"

"Yeah," Eren lies. It's better than explaining about his new crush. Honestly, his never-to-be-reciprocated-crush list was getting awfully long.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah—I'll just get my stuff."

Armin nods, leaning against the counter.

Eren disappears into the back, taking off his apron and replacing it with a No Name hoody that totally screams _I'm a super fan!_ It's just that kind of merchandise design.

But it is totally justified today. He's going to see them in concert three years of waiting for it. It is a monumental occasion and he'll be damned if he doesn't celebrate it appropriately.

"Who was that guy?" Armin asks once Eren has returned.

"What guy?" Eren replies.

"The, uh, short one wearing a lot of black. You talked to him for much longer than the usual customer."

"Who, Levi? I mean—" Damnit, he had not meant to mention his name. Now Armin would be able to figure everything out.

" _Levi_? You know his name?"

"Just because I needed it for his order, nothing more."

"Do you like him?"

"We've only met twice," Eren dismisses. "And briefly. There's no way I'd like someone that quickly."

Eren knows Armin knows that's a lie. Eren is notorious for developing huge crushes almost instantly. "Come on, Eren. You and I both know that's not true. Do you like him because he reminds you of No Name's singer?"

"What? No." Eren has never actually thought of that. There are some similarities, like the way he can never see either of their faces properly, but there's no way he just likes Levi because of that. If he even likes him. They have only known each other two days. That's no time for real feelings to occur, just imitations of them.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't even like him, I swear." They left the cafe and began to walk to Armins car. "Let's just focus on the show."

"If you say so, Eren," Armin replies, amused. But to be fair, he does drop it a moment afterwards. "Only six hours to go..."

"I can't believe it," Eren says for the 300th time.

Eren and Armin celebrate appropriately by putting on No Name's latest album on in the car. They sing along at the top of their lungs to every song, and Eren's glad they have no room to he embarrassed for it. Those moments were the best; when it's just you, a friend, and some loud music. Butterflies flap their way around Eren's stomach to the extent where he's not sure they're even butterflies anymore. They're more like bats. Or eagles. Or dragons. Or any other large winged creature, mythical or not.

They stop off at some or other fast food restaurant for lunch. Their burgers drip in oil and are composed of meat that might not actually be meat, but Eren doesn't care. They taste damn good anyway, even if they will shorten his lifespan considerably.

At two o'clock, after they've eaten and their voices are becoming hoarse from singing, Eren and Armin arrive at the venue. It's a large place, and even with five hours before the show, is crowded with a mixture of fans.

Are the band already here? Are they just inside, or out in their tour bus? Being in such close proximity with them almost causes Eren to pass out. And he knows it's only get worse. He's probably going to get to _speak to them_ later. Can he survive it without fainting? The answer: probably not.

He knows he's the damned worst fangirl ever. And he doesn't give a shit about it.

"Ready?" Armin asks.

Eren meets his eyes, grinning. "Ready."

He's not ready at all.


	3. lost in a moment

Eren and Armin bake in the sun for a good four hours (unluckily uncharacteristic of the time of year), and when they're finally let into the building, they're just about dead of heat exhaustion and dehydration.

"That was," Eren pants, "not worth it." He's regretting all his thoughts of getting there early, wishing they'd just bought seated tickets, because even if they were watching from afar, they wouldn't have had to queue for so goddamn long.

"I wouldn't speak too soon," Armin says as they step through the double doors that lead into the concert hall.

Beyond, it's completely empty, save for a group of nine (yes, Eren's counting) excited looking teenage girls in t-shirts with 'No Name' printed in bold letters on the front. And that's not all—they have No Name water bottles and phone cases. _Water bottles_! Eren didn't even know you could get them!

Beyond the huddle of girls and the metal barrier is the stage. His eyes widen when he sees it and he has to force himself to breathe properly.

Four microphone stands, the one in the middle a particularly high-spec looking one. The singer will sing into that.

Two guitar stands, both sans instruments for now.

The drum-kit is already there, though. _No Name_ is printed on the face of the bass drum.

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.

In no time at all, the band will actually be standing on that stage.

His heart begins to beat faster and faster.

_This is really happening._

He's actually going to see them.

"Come on." Armin tugs Eren's sleeve, obviously noticing that he's stopped in his tracks and gone completely silent. "We can stand at the front."

Sure enough, since Eren and Armin are only the tenth and eleventh ones there respectively, they'll be able to be almost front and centre. Only about five metres away from the band.

It was a good idea to wait, then. Even if they nearly died, it meant this—which is totally something worth almost dying over.

They stand in their place by the heavy barrier, and Eren leans against it, trying to calm his nerves. He downs a water-bottle (thank God he brought two of them) and then proceeds to intensely scroll through Twitter, showing Armin the odd No Name related tweet that he finds funny.

He tweets a few all-caps tweets about what's happening, and surprisingly gets a few replies from his Twitter mutuals saying that they're going as well. It's nice, he thinks, that he's not just experiencing it with just Armin after all. 

  
As the next hour slowly ticks by, the hall gets flooded with people in numerous kinds of No Name merchandise until it's almost bursting at the seams. When seven o'clock rolls around, the opening band comes on stage.

Eren doesn't catch their name, but they're relatively good and seem to go down well with the fans around him. However, he's not exactly paying much attention. His mind is still focused on No Name and the moment when he'll see them—which is growing ever, ever closer. 

His heart is so far up in his throat that he's almost choking, and his butterflies/bats/eagles/dragons/other-winged-creatures are in turmoil.

He feels nauseous, and he's not sure whether it's because of excitement or worry.

Honestly, one part of him is a little afraid he'll be disappointed. He doesn't like that he's even considering it in the slightest, due to just how much faith he's put into the band from right at the start until now, but he can't help it. He can't shut down that part of him that fears for the worst.

What if they aren't like they are on his posters or CDs, or on YouTube?

He manages to find comfort in the realisation that there's no way that they can be exactly the same. Everything is different in real life, no matter what it is. Cameras are filtered. His own eyes are not. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Different can be good; different can be _better_.

It solaces him for the time being.

The first band leaves after a short amount of time and is replaced by the second—the sub-headliner. Eren knows them. They've toured with No Name before, and he enjoys their music as a causal fan. This should be enjoyable.

 _Should_ being the key word.

He's still too plagued with thoughts of the band that's up next to concentrate on anything else, so he barely pays attention to the songs he usually enjoys and sings along to.

After several songs, the band eventually exits the stage. At this point, Eren's anticipation is almost killing him.

 _Damnit_ , he thinks as he drinks from his second water-bottle. _Why can't I just calm down!_

"Uh, Eren, are you alright...?" Armin asks warily.

"What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine," Eren replies, finishing off the water (he drank it in only three gulps and it's a pint) and promptly crushing the bottle in his fist. He then realises the blatant lie and corrects: "I'm just"—he searches for the right word—"excited..."

Armin just laughs, eyeing the lump mangled plastic in Eren's hand.

Eren nervously returns his gaze to the stage, and an onslaught of _oh-my-god-oh-my-fucking-god-this-is-actually-happening-I'm-minutes-away-from-actually-freaking-seeing-no-name-in-the-actual-flesh_ comes over him once again, though not to his surprise. His heart pounds. His stomach lurches. Those damned dragons.

But then he sees them, and it's like everything freezes for a moment.

First comes the drummer, tall and muscular with sandy-coloured hair. He sits himself down behind the kit, picking up his sticks and hovering them above his multitude of cymbals.

Second comes the lead guitarist. Brown hair in a ponytail and average height. She plucks an almost manic melody, setting the crowd ablaze with cheers that nearly break Eren's eardrums.

Third comes the bassist, petite and red haired. She takes her stance on the left of the stage, gripping her heavy-looking bass guitar firmly—yet not tensely.

Last comes the one Eren's been nervously anticipating the most—the man that occupies almost all of his bedroom ceiling. He's dark haired, kind of short and faceless—well, they're all faceless but whatever—and just as Eren pictures in his dreams. Even though the only visible parts of his face are his jaw and mouth and maybe a glint of one of his eyes, he is beautiful. It's not just present in his looks, but in his manner and the way he walks, the way he sings the songs he's written. Seeing him high upon the stage, although only metres away, Eren begins to realise that he's entirely unattainable. He exists somewhere that Eren will never be able to reach, no matter how hard he tries and tries. It makes Eren feel disappointed; yet he does not know why. He should have realised long ago that his stupid desires would never work out.

Eren quickly swallows the thought and forces himself to focus on the imminent music.

He can't let this night be ruined by such pathetic, childish wishes.

Instead, he draws his line of sight to the drummer, the guitarist, the bassist; he can't look at the singer, no matter how much every part of him wishes, _screams_ , for him to do so.

He can't look at that face, can't let his dreams be crushed over and over and over again, can't risk that ache in his chest again. He wonders how many hearts have been broken by that stare.

And then the first chord of the first song strikes.

The crowd goes wild.

Adrenaline pumps though Eren's veins.

This is the song they always open with. It's a short, fast song that always succeeds in hyping everyone up.

Eren forgets everything when he hears that voice.

It's so like it sounds on the recordings, on the concerts he watches on YouTube, and yet, can't be more different. Because here and now, that voice is real. The band on the stage in front of him is real. And it's so hard to actually realise that. To realise that he's not just sitting in front of a screen at two am watching things filmed for TV.

And it's so strange.

In what seems like mere seconds, the song draws to a close. Eren's left hanging on the final beat, but soon rushes back into it when they lurch straight into the next song.

His veins surge with adrenaline and he thinks he probably looks like the world's craziest idiot as he bangs his head along to the music and sings knowingly off-tune. He doesn't care though. All he cares for is the moment. The song he hears, the musicians upon the stage, and the crowd around him. This moment, he thinks, is one he will never be able to forget, nor relive. It is the rush of seeing your favourite band in concert for the first time; the rush of feeling that bass drum pounding beneath your feet; the sheer ecstasy of all of your senses being filled up by one song.

Eren lives in this moment and grips it tight, swearing to never let it go.

* * *

When the encore finishes and the band leaves the stage, Eren is left completely and utterly drained. His limbs feel like overcooked noodles (at best) and he leans against Armin for support. Armin—who is probably just as tired as he is.

"Will you be alright for the meet and greet?"

Eren immediately bears his own weight. He almost forgot about that. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he says, a little too confidently.

And then promptly stumbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i'm guessing u all already know what's gonna happen next chapter so i needn't make any hints.
> 
> this took a while, i know, but it was major pain to edit & i'm still not rly happy w it lmao 
> 
> and lastly, if you're aware of no name in snk junior high, you'll know that no name has 3 members (no bassist) but i've been in a band before and it really doesn't work without a bassist (yes i was the bassist...)
> 
> thanks for reading! kudos and comments are v appreciated.


	4. lost in a dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh here goes, the chapter you've been waiting for

Eren and Armin both get chairs to sit in once they've had their passes checked, which is something Eren would consider as close to a miracle.

He sighs and takes a long drink from his new, uncrushed bottle of water.

"I wonder what they'll be like," Armin says for about the tenth time. Eren thinks it's code for _I hope they're nice._

He chooses not to point that out, and just says, for the tenth time, "I'm not sure." 

And then, finally, a security guard gives them the heads up: it's their turn to venture backstage and meet the band. Thank God. He thought the anticipation was going to kill him sitting here in this stuffy corridor.

Eren's stomach surges with those dragons again—now breathing burning hot fire inside his intestines. He takes a deep breath and smiles tentatively. "Let's go, Armin. Let's go meet them."

* * *

It's dark backstage. Techs and crew members run to and fro carrying various guitars and microphones—clearing up after the show. Eren walks with a newfound spring in his step (even though his knees are trembling), sharing excited glances with Armin every couple of seconds.

The security guard leads them through the hustle and bustle, weaving carefully around everyone. Eren admittedly almost bumps into a few of them; he's not nearly as skilled at navigation. 

They turn onto a corridor after crossing the backstage area. It's pained a gentle off-white and lined with signed posters of musicians that have presumably played there before. The security guard motions for them to halt at a door with a plaque on it that reads "dressing room one". Eren's heart pounds and the dragons singe his liver. Never did he once think the meet and greet would be in their _dressing room_. It'll seem so personal and intimate being in there, that he's pretty sure it's gonna make him even less likely to survive.

"If I faint," Eren says in a hushed voice to Armin, "catch me before I hit my head and die."

"I'll try," Armin replies grimly.

And then the door is opened.

Standing on his tip toes and attempting to peer over the security guard's shoulder (Eren's not short, the guy is just tall as hell!), he tries to get a good look inside before they go in. All he can catch a glimpse of in the low, turned down light is that there's a table. He presumes the band are sitting at it, but due to the large shoulder blocking his view, he can't see them at all.

_They're in there-they're in there-they're in there-they're in there-oh my god—_

The security guard turns around to face Eren and Armin, cutting off his frantic thoughts.

"They'll sign your items first, and then you can take a photo. Don't take longer than five minutes—we still have a lot of people waiting after you two."

They both nod, and Eren hastily takes off his backpack and fishes out the album he's brought to be signed. Armin already has his in hand. Eren mentally rebukes himself for not being prepared enough. He only has five minutes and he's still not sure of what he wants to say to them. He knows he wants to thank them though, especially the lead singer. For the songs that have helped him through so much.

The security guard steps aside, taking a protective stance by the door. Eren and Armin catch their first glimpse of the band since earlier at the concert.

Eren's eyes are immediately drawn to the singer, unsurprisingly. He's seated in the chair at the furthest end of the table. His hair is damp as if he's just taken a shower, but the bandages are still firmly wound around his face. The others still have theirs on too. Eren supposes it makes sense; there's no way they'd reveal their identities, even to the small number of fans that managed to get passes.

Armin goes first, and Eren is thankful for that. It gives him a little more time to organise his thoughts.

The first members of the band—the guitarist and bassist—smile at Armin pleasantly and Eren watches as they each eagerly sign his album for him.

By the time Armin is greeting the drummer, Eren realises that it's probably his cue. With shaking legs, he anxiously makes his way over to the bassist, and hands her his CD with equally shaking fingers.

She smiles sweetly, scribbling her signature on its case. "There's no need to be so worried," she says in a gentle, reassuring tone of voice. "We won't bite."

Eren laughs nervously. "I know it's just... nerve wracking," he manages to say. "It's the first time I've seen you in real life and it feels like everything has been building up to this moment." He laughs again.

She finishes signing the CD and slides it back over the table to him. "Have you been a fan for long?"

"Yes! Over three years now. You're my favourite band and all your songs mean a lot to me, honestly. They helped me through some tough times and I don't really know what I'd do without them some days." He curses himself for rambling the moment it leaves his mouth. She won't want to hear his life story, will she?

He picks up his newly signed CD with a thank you.

"I'm glad our songs could do that for you. That's why I do what I do—being a musician and making songs. When I find out it can affect someone in that way, I actually feel like I'm doing something for the world." She gives him another smile, a grateful one. "Thank you so much. I hope you get the chance to come to another one of our concerts."

"Y-yes!" Eren stammers, her words barely setting in. "And thank you back."

They say goodbye to one another and Eren moves onto the guitarist.

"How did you enjoy the show?" she asks cheerfully, taking the album from him.

"It was so good! It was my first time and it was really worth the wait," he replies. Even though he's nervous enough to piss his pants, the band members are easier to talk to than he anticipated. Well, at least these ones are.

"I'm glad to hear it." She grins at him. Even though she's still got the bandages around her face, a pair of glasses rest atop her nose and she peers from a gap in the bandages through them.

"Thank you for putting on such a great show," he tells her. "I'm not gonna forget it until I die."

Her smile widens and she passes him the CD. "Don't mention it, ..."

She looks up at him expectantly, and he takes a moment to realise she wants to know his name.

"Uh—it's Eren."

"Eren, huh? Well, Eren, I hope we can meet again! Seeing fans always excites me!"  
She was... excitable.

"Yeah," he says quickly. "Uh, I'd better move onto the others... since we don't have much time."

"Oh! Of course. See you, Eren."

He gives her an awkward smile and moves onto the drummer.

The drummer is a man of few words, Eren knows. Whenever they do rare interviews for magazines, he almost always never says a word. He signs Eren's album in silence, though gives him a smile when Eren thanks him.

And then, before Eren knows it, he's face to face with the man he's been infatuated (that's the right word, he's sure) with for over three years.

He smells of soap. The scent wafts over the table and into Eren's nose. It's simpler than he expected.

"U—uh... hi," Eren chokes out, his face heating up at how pathetic he sounds.

"The CD," the singer responds. His speaking voice surprises Eren, too. Unlike how he sings, which is melodious and emotional—his words are low, monotone and practically devoid of emotion.

"What?" Eren asks stupidly, unable to grasp what the other man means.

"I'm supposed to be signing it, but you haven't given it to me yet."

"O-oh. Sorry." Eren quickly gives it to him with a trembling hand. "Could you write, um, 'to Eren' please?"

The singer appears to hesitate a little. He looks up at him, one steely eye focusing right at Eren. There's an unreadable expression in it. Eren freezes at the scrutiny. "Spelled?"

Managing to snap out of it, he tells him with forced clarity, "E-R-E-N."

The singer gives a slight nod and writes whatever he means to on the CD. Eren can't read it from this distance because of the bad lighting and the fact that he's been short-sighted for a while now (but still stubbornly refuses to go to the opticians).

The CD is slid back to him a moment later, and Eren clasps it like it's worth more than his life. "Thank you so much."  He's barely breathing. His heart is pounding so loud he's sure the singer is able to hear it too.

He barely registers that he needs to move out of the way because the band are getting to their feet and it's probably time to get the photo done.

Eren joins Armin at the end of the gable, the latter flashing a look that probably means are you okay?

He nods emptily. It hasn't entirely set in yet.

"Gather at the far wall for the photo to be done," instructs the man who is presumably the photographer, if one is to judge by the expensive-looking camera he's standing beside.

They line up against the only bare wall in the room. From left to right it ends up being the drummer, guitarist, Armin, Eren, the singer and bassist. Eren is almost choking on the minimal amount of air he's managed to breathe in because, oh my fucking god, he's right beside _him_. There are barely five centimetres between their arms. He's so, so close. Eren can't do anything but stand there and just take in his details. The curve of his neck. The sharpness of his jaw. The way his hands are completely still at his sides, neither tense nor relaxed. The look in his eyes that on first glance appears impassive, but, if he looks closer, he can see that there's a sharp glint in them—like he's carefully scanning over everything in the room. He would almost seem like a statue, if it wasn't for that. He is just as perfect as in photos and just as still. He turns his neck and looks up at Eren, eyes boring straight into him, just like earlier. However, to Eren's surprise (and relief), he doesn't say anything.

Eren flushes and averts his gaze. The singer must have noticed he's been staring. His stomach churns with embarrassment. He can't even work up the nerve to apologise. He just... leaves him speechless and breathless with no cure in sight. It's so much worse in real life, as well, when they're so close. So damn close he feels like his heart is going to explode.

But even though they're practically touching, he still doesn't seem real to Eren. He's still far-off, still unattainable.

"Okay, taking the photo in 3," the photographer says from his position behind the large camera, bringing Eren out of his thoughts.

He forces his face into a calm facade. Because he's not calm. He's not calm at all. But it's best he doesn't look like the mess that he feels.

"Two...one...say cheese."

Nobody says cheese.

The flash is bright and leaves a mark in front of Eren's eyes. They're supposed to get the photo mailed to them within a week or two, give or take. Hopefully it comes out alright and Eren won't be squinting or blushing or both in it.

The security guard appears in the door and motions for Eren and Armin to come, presumably so that they can move onto the next group as quickly as possible.

It's then Eren realises he forgot to say what he was meaning to to the singer. Ignoring Armin's questioning look, he clenches his fists and turns back towards him. "Uh, excuse me."

The singer is halfway back to the table, but stops when Eren speaks. "What." The look he's giving him is almost confused. It's the only noticeable difference in his expression that Eren's seen tonight, but it's still subtle.

"I... uh..." he stumbles, trying as hard as he can to find the right words. "Thank you. For you songs, your lyrics. I know you've probably heard this a lot but they really changed my life. Made me who I am. Kept me going when nothing else did. Made me feel things that nothing else did. Even though I'd never met you before today, you impacted me more than anyone else has. I can connect with your lyrics on a personal level and the songs make me feel more than anything else does. This might sound really stupid... but I feel like I know you through them... or something. Anyway, thank you so much... for everything. I owe so much to you." Even though it got really bad near the end, but Eren's proud of himself for getting the courage to say it. Those are words he's wanted to say for months and months, years even. From the moment he first discovered No Name.

"Eren, was it?" he questions.

Eren nods.

"Thank you."

...

Once they're out of the dressing room and he's finally more or less calmed his breathing (he's such a fucking fangirl, he knows, but he can't help it), Eren takes the signed CD out of his bag to look at what the singer wrote for him.

In extremely neat handwriting, it reads:

_To Erin,  
I heard what you said to my bandmate. Thanks for supporting us. I'm glad our music could impact you._

If this was anyone else, Eren would be pissed at the easily avoidable misspelling of his name (does E even sound like I?), but he completely disregards it. He can't quite believe what's written. Even before his spiel after the photo-op, the singer had noticed what he'd heard to the bassist and it had meant enough for him to comment on it?

The dragons in Eren's stomach do multiple somersaults and nearly escape out through his belly button. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.

Tonight went way, way better than expected. It feels more like he's inside a dream than actually in reality.

"Armin," he pants, "I think I'm about to pass out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! comments & kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> also ahh thank you for reading thus far!! im really surprised people actually like this hahaha  
> & the updates may get kind of infrequent soon, tomorrow i go back to college because my october holidays have finished so i'm going to have to pick up the pace w studying for my exams :(((


	5. lost in emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so i guess i'm back after nearly 7 months :))) lol i'm so sorry and i'm 99.99% sure no one is interested in reading this anymore but whatever
> 
> school's been shit (though it still is but summer's in less than 3 weeks) and ive been swamped with work and exams and stuff... which i could use an excuse but really it's not good enough lmao i hope i can become better at writing. 
> 
> also idk what this mess of a chapter is but it is what it is. sorry i've been gone so long & this is the crap u get ://

Armin makes Eren sit down on a bench outside the concert hall, threatening that he'll call Mikasa unless he calms down as soon as possible. Eren, who definitely doesn't want lecture from her about looking after himself, manages to heed Armin's warning. He forces himself to take in the twenty thoroughly practised deep breathes, learned back in the anger management therapy he got during his early teenage years (don't ask).

When his heart rate is finally slowing back to a normal pace and he's stopped feeling lightheaded, Armin hands Eren his own water bottle (since Eren's finished both of his), which Eren downs entirely even before a second passes.

It's not just the note, or what happened happened after the photo-op—he's not just freaking because holy shit the singer thanked him _twice_ —nor is it just the meet and greet in general, nor the concert that's overwhelmed him so much. It's _everything_. All of it together. Every second of the night, from when Eren and Armin were driving in screaming to _Dark Side of the Moon_ at the top of their lungs, to just now, where he's sitting on a bench crushing yet another water bottle. It's more than Eren's experienced in a long time; his daily routine consists of lying in bed scrolling through Twitter and watching No Name videos on YouTube while eating his way though several bags of chips. He knows he's one of those people who feels emotions stronger than is average, and sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's not. He's not sure what category his current state falls into, but the emotions themselves are positive. Happiness. Excitement. Relief. Gratitude. Awe. Love. However, as is evident, all that at the same time is way too overwhelming.

He starts to feel a little faint again.

"Deep breaths," Armin whispers in his ear, calming.

Eren complies and slowly sucks in another lungful of air.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

He feels marginally better after that.

A couple of minutes later, when Eren's a little calmer still, Armin says he's going to the bathroom, leaving Eren alone. He brings out his phone to pass the time until Armin returns and they can go home.

His Twitter timeline is a mess of people tweeting in capslock about the concert. A lot of them from his mutuals that also went, but never got the chance for a meet and greet. He was planning to say hello to them earlier, but never got the chance.

 **Sasha | I SAW NO NAME LIVE**   
**_(@potatogirl)_**  
 _TGHAT WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE IM STILL CRYING I WANT TO GO BACK_

Eren likes her tweet. Sasha's nice, and they've talked a little. He types a reply.

**number one no name fucker _(@jaegersbomb)_**   
_@potatogirl same im still in shock AHHH_

**Christa❁ _(@queenchrista)_**   
_Omg guys!! No name was so great live, I loved the show so much (*^o^*)_

**I met the bassist of no name _(@conconnie)_**   
_holy shit, you will not believe, I was waiting for my friend @potatogirl outside the back of the concert hall & the bassist came out??!!? she was so nice and gave me her autograph i'm actually dying_

**Sasha | I SAW NO NAME LIVE**   
**_(@potatogirl)_ **   
_@conconnie yeah and i'm weeping with jealousy FJDGSHS_

**Christa ❁**   ** _(@queenchrista)_**  
 _@Conconnie wow, you're so lucky! I had to leave straight afterwards because my girlfriend was driving and she has work tonight :(_

**number one no name fucker _(@jaegersbomb)_**   
_holy fuck u did?? like just now?? i met her 30 mins ago at the meet and greet & she was rly nice there as well!!!!_

**I met the bassist of no name ( _@conconnie)_** _  
@jaegersbomb i forgot you had a vip pass. how did it go?_

**Sasha | I SAW NO NAME LIVE  
 _(@potatogirl)_** _  
how did it go meeting *him*??? ;))_

**number one no name fucker _(@jaegersbomb)_** _  
@conconnie @potatogirl i'll make a thread outta the whole story in a bit, im still fucking in shock rn lets just say it went better than expected lol_

"Eren?" Armin asks. "Ready to go?"

Eren stuffs his phone into his pocket and stands up straight. "Yeah. Was just checking Twitter."

"I can't say I'm surprised." Armin raises his brows. "You're never off it."

"I like to keep up with things," Eren defends. "And plus, apparently Connie met the bassist out the back 10 minutes ago."

"Really? Are they out signing things for the fans?"

Eren opens his phone and scrolls through Connie's feed. "Oh. Apparently they're not. He says that she said she was just nipping out to get something from the bus."

"Ah, I see. Let's just go home now, then."

"Sure." To be honest, Eren desperately wants out of this building. Even though it's so big, it feels like it's suffocating him. He can practically feel the walls closing in.

However, just as they're about to leave, Eren happens to overhear a conversation between two girls with VIP passes around their necks that mirror the ones Eren and Armin have and No Name t-shirts that still have tags on them.

"He was kind of an asshole," the smaller, blonde one of the two says with a sign. "I thought he was glaring at me the whole time."

Eren stops in his tracks and begins to listen in. He can't help it! Armin gives him a confused look, but Eren ignores it and continues.

"Maybe he was just tired," the taller, brown haired one says. "They just played a concert, you know."

"I don't think so," she says. "The rest were all nice despite it, but he looked bored and barely paid me any attention. It was a complete waste of money."

His blood begins to boil at her words. It's initially kind of a simmer, but it worsens as he hears what they say next.

"You're so critical," the other sighs. "But I guess you have a point."

"Too right. I at least thought I'd get a hug or something. Who doesn't do that to their fans? I doubt the band even give a shit about us."

Before Armin can try to hold him back, Eren is charging over to the pair with gritted teeth and a white-hot fire in his eyes.

"You should keep your fucking mouth shut and stop making assumptions about people," he snaps.

"Who the fuck do _you_ think you are, asshole? I'm allowed to make a complaint, aren't I?" she responds, crossing her arms and glaring up at him.

"I suggest you do some fucking research before you talk shit about someone you don't even know. Aren't you supposed to be a fan or something?"

She scoffs at him.

He can't believe her. It's well known that the singer hates the attention and spotlight that comes with being famous, and it's a miracle in itself that he agreed to a meet and greet with fans. Eren can tell from their meeting that he's a reserved person who doesn't express emotions easily, but that doesn't in any way mean that he doesn't give a damn about his fans! Surely what he wrote for Eren on the CD was enough to show that? Furthermore, the fact he listened to Eren's rambling about how much the music means to him and proceeded to thank him—again—afterwards shows that he's genuinely happy that his music could touch a fan in such a way. Eren is livid at these girls. Their audacity!

"Stop fucking expecting people to do what you want like they're some kind of circus animal! You're seriously fucked up if you think that. If you try and think it over and think about what kind of person he is and still don't think he cares about his fans I'll fucking show you the goddamn note he wrote on my CD for me!" Eren yells, almost right up in her face. He's practically hyperventilating and there is probably steam coming out of his ears. He doesn't care, though. Not when he's in this state.

There is a hand gingerly touching his shoulder. "Eren... calm down," Armin tells him, unconfident.

The uncontrollable, rage-filled part of Eren knows that Armin can't stop him when he's like this. The only person capable of that is Mikasa and maybe his therapist.

 _Why the fuck would I calm down,_ he thinks.

The phrase he's been constantly told in therapy crosses his mind for a moment: he doesn't need to face something he disagrees with with pure, unadulterated rage. He can talk about it calmly, normally like a _normal_ person.

He scoffs at those words. Eren isn't exactly normal, and never will be.

But still, he knows he _should_ calm down. All the happiness and excitement of the concert have been replaced with negative emotions. Anger. Hatred. Spite.

"You're fucking insane, you know that," the blonde girl tells him and stalks off, her friend hurrying behind, talking in furious whispers.

"Sorry for him," Armin calls after them, but gets thoroughly ignored. He turns to Eren. "You should've—"

"Ignored them, I know," Eren cuts over him. "They aren't worth my time. I've heard enough of that from you and Mikasa to know it." 

"Maybe you should—"

"Listen to you, I know." Eren rubs his temple with a still-shaking hand. "I'm sorry. I know I went out of control... I just... I don't know. It's been a lot tonight. I just want to go home."

"Okay," Armin says. And they go home.

* * *

**number one no name fucker _(@jaegersbomb)_**

_u will never guess what this fucking bitch was saying to her friend outside the venue!!! im so fucking pissed_

* * *

 

**No Name _(@nonameband)_**

_Thank you Trost! We'll be back again soon._  
[Image]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologise again for this mess and the weird fucking tweets lmao 
> 
> if u wanna leave kudos or comment it'd be much appreciated :)) <3


	6. lost in thoughts

The next morning, Eren feels hungover. Which is strange because last night he never had even a sip of an alcoholic beverage. If he's going to sound poetic, he's 'hungover' because he was drunk on the experience and his emotions. But even with a splitting headache and aching limbs, Eren still has to go to work—because he's in desperate need of the money (so he can buy merchandise, of course) he can't just call in sick, no matter how much he wants to.

It takes close to thirty minutes for him to drag himself out of bed. When he arrived home last night, he fell asleep the instant his head touched his pillow, having been unbelievably exhausted from the concert. It's a miracle in itself that he managed to change into his pyjamas and brush his teeth.

For the entire walk to the cafe, he listens to a playlist he compiled of the show's setlist. It makes him recall nearly every moment, and he's lost in it as he wanders down the pavement. Every word of every song brings back a new memory, still fresh and yet now feeling so far away. When he reaches the cafe and pulls out his earbuds, it's like awakening from a dream. It still doesn't seem real. He has to check that the CD is still in his bag (yes, he decided to carry it around with him everywhere, so what!). He knows it's silly, but he can't bring himself to part with it—even for a moment.

The first hour of the morning drags on and there are barely any customers. It is nine on a Sunday morning, after all. Most people are probably still sleeping, like Eren wishes he is.

At around ten, he is studying the CD yet again. Yeah, maybe it's getting a tiny bit creepy, but they haven't anyone in for a good ten minutes. He was almost dead with boredom while waiting around for people to show up, so he did the only thing he could think of and took it out of his bag again.

He lovingly admires the four signatures—one on each corner of the case. The note from the singer is in the middle, right beside his signature. Due to those words, this CD is now decidedly Eren's most prized possession.

The album itself is worth a lot to him. It's No Name's newest album, and his Christmas present last year from Armin. From the moment it was unwrapped, it's been on constant repeat in his CD player. It's one of his favourite of theirs, probably about number two in his album ranking—even though said ranking does change about once every week. (It's not like he can't help it! They're all just too good to have a definitive order.)

As Eren is drifting off in his thoughts about No Name, someone clears their throat on the other side of the counter. Oh shit. A customer. Eren really got too sucked into his appreciation that he didn't even hear them approaching.

"Hi, what can I get for you?" he asks with a smile, using the phrase his employers insist he does to seem 'friendly and attentive' (after hurriedly putting the album down and hiding it behind the cash register, of course).

Oh.

It's Levi. For third time in a row. He must really like the tea at this coffee shop or something. Not that Eren particularly—or at all—minds.

To Eren's slight disappointment (not a lot, he swears; it's just curiosity), he still has his sunglasses. And an obscuring hat and hood, and now a damn scarf that almost covers his mouth. Eren is beginning to wonder if Levi is secretly an undercover spy who needs to hide his identity, or maybe someone who has committed a terrible crime and is on the run from the government. One of the two. Sadly however, Eren doubts that Levi will be forthcoming and tell him the reason if he were to ask.

"What would you like?" Eren repeats, because for some reason or other, Levi was showing no signs of answering his initial question.

Levi tilts his head up towards Eren.

Oh, he was looking down before. Eren realises he hasn't entirely hidden the CD, and Levi must have been staring at it. Eren instinctively puts a protective arm over it. Levi must think he's a fucking weirdo, and Eren's not sure why he gives a damn, because come on—he's Eren fucking Jaeger, shameless No Name fan no. 1.

"One black tea," he says finally.

Of course, the the same as before. Eren hadn't expected any different, and could have just guessed, but where was the fun in that? It would mean that he'd barely have a chance to talk with Levi. He would take advantage of his limited time, thank you very much.

"Sure," Eren says. "Sit in or take away?"

Levi doesn't look at Eren. "Sit in."

Oh. A part of Eren rejoices at that (because he'll get to creepily stare at the the man he doesn't know that is probably a spy or a criminal but somehow likes). "And can I get your name please?"

"Surely you can't have forgotten it after that ordeal yesterday."

Eren smiles, trying to hide his satisfaction at stalling a little longer. "Sorry, but we get a lot of customers in here. You surely can't expect me to remember everyone's names."

"It's Levi." Though Eren can't see his eyes due to the sunglasses, he can feel Levi's gaze on him. "L-E-V-I."

From that, Eren knows he'll have to misspell it again. If all goes well Levi will come back and speak to him after seeing his name written wrong. He turns to his coworker. "One black tea to sit in for Levi. L-I-V-I."

"Are you sure that's correct?" Marco asks, frowning.

Eren nods, hoping the lie doesn't show. He's kind of an obvious person. "Don't worry! It's definitely right."

"Alright, then..." he responds doubtfully, eyebrows raised. "What a weird way to spell it..."

Levi pays without another word and goes to collect his drink. As expected, he returns to where Eren is standing with a highly unimpressed expression. At least, on the part of his face Eren can see.

"What the hell."

Eren shrugs. "Must be my coworker's fault again. His hearing isn't the best. Enjoy your tea, Levi."

Eren can feel Levi's glare on him so much so that he's practically shuddering. Maybe wasn't the best idea to anger a potential murderer. He is pretty scary, after all.

Thankfully, Eren manages to survive and Levi leaves silently, heading over to a small table by the window. Eren tries not to stare at him as he drinks his tea, holding the cup by the rim. Tries not to stare as Levi brings out an expensive looking phone and types something with one hand, before putting it back into his pocket. Tries not to stare as Levi takes off his sunglasses and puts them in his pocket, too. Eren fails at them all, unable to focus on the cash register that he's supposed to be refilling with change. Instead, all he can do is think that if he saunters over there he'll get to see what Levi's eyes look like. He tries to resist that urge.

Luckily his attempts at this are more successful. He doesn't want to risk his life solely on the fact that he wonders if Levi's eyes are as beautiful as the rest of his face.

He's brought out of his pathetic daydreams when a tall, blond haired man comes in the door. He's smart, dressed in an ironed suit and carrying a shiny briefcase. Eren readies himself to take the blond man's order, but instead the man walks straight over to Levi's table.

Holy shit. Eren prays to every deity he can think of that the man isn't Levi's boyfriend even though it's not like he's got any chance in hell either way.

The man says something to Levi and Levi inclines his head, lifting up his tea and drinking the last of it.

Well, at least they didn't kiss.

Levi gets to his feet, still holding the cup. He's practically half the other man's height. Eren can't help but think it looks a little funny. Or at least, it would if Levi didn't look as... intimidating as he does.

He comes over to where Eren is and places the dirty cup on the counter. To Eren's disappointment, his sunglasses have been put back over his eyes.

"Uh... thanks," Eren mumbles.

"You should clean the tables. They're filthy. It's disgusting."

"Sorry," Eren replies, and he doesn't know why. Usually he would be pissed if someone said that to his face. If anyone else did. "I was meaning to... but I guess I forgot."

Levi seems somewhat satisfied with that answer and moves to go.

Eren's just about to get the damn multi-surface cleaner and a cloth, but somehow his mouth works on its own with zero consent from his brain. "Have a good day, Levi!"

The hard line of Levi's mouth softens a little. "Bye, Eren."

Even long after Levi has left, the only thing running through Eren's head is: _he knows my name!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M DONE WITH EXAMS AND SCHOOL FOR THE YEAR!! expect more updates soon ahhh
> 
> if you enjoyed pls consider commenting or leaving kudos bc they make my day and motivate me to write more! thank you for reading <3
> 
> see you next chapter!


End file.
